This year was a pretty crazy one for me, personally. I put out three albums with three different bands, and started preparing for my biggest adventure yet – moving to China with the love of my life. We are scheduled to leave on January 1st. Literally and figuratively, 2015 will be a whole new year.

Musically, 2014 was kind of strange. Most things just kind of floated in the ether – my reaction a lot of times would be “this isn’t bad, and it’s not that it isn’t good, but it’s just kind of….THERE.” On the flip side, there were a few albums that have already become classics in their own right, complete head-turners that set new examples for what a record could be. I thought about making this just a top ten list, but even if a few of these records are flawed, there is enough good (even great) about them to make them of note. I hope you find something you enjoy. Happy holidays and music hunting to all!

Side One Dummy

20. Andrew Jackson Jihad – Christmas Island

I’m not normally into freak folk or folk punk or whatever Andrew Jackson Jihad describes themselves as, but Sean Bonnette’s wickedly funny and inventive lyrics are what sucked me into this album. He is unforgiving about lobbing disturbing imagery at your brain, and it makes for such a fun listen. Whether it’s a room full of corpses with Nikes on their feet, or a coffin full of dead orphans, or a bright-red dog’s asshole shitting into the evening sky, Bonnette’s visions seem at once completely revolting and uniquely poetic, with not a lot of space in between. The songwriting is pretty traditional, but at times can hit a sort of ghostly plane. And of course, throughout the record, Bonnette’s mental-illness inspired musings help to make Christmas Island an other-worldly affair.

Touch and Go

19. Shellac – Dude Incredible

The return of the engineer’s rock band. Steve Albini, Todd Trainer and Bob Weston have every reason to take themselves seriously. After all, between the three of them, they have probably had something to do with 90% of the most influential rock recordings made in the last 30 years. Fortunately, on Dude Incredible, they don’t completely forget that rock music is mostly about fun. Sure, it’s “fun” in the way Steve Albini describes the word, which usually involves some really dark and disturbing shit. The enthralling “You Came In Me” (which seems to playfully borrow from the band’s favorite Zeppelin tunes) only contains a few lyrics, which are; “’You came in me!’ ‘What’d you think I was gonna do? That’s why I’m fuckin’ you.’” It’s that same lambasting of the sexist/frat boy mentality that Albini has always used as his muse; which is fine, because it’s a mentality that still very much deserves a good lambasting or fifty.

Mom + Pop

18. Tokyo Police Club – Forcefield

Toronto’s Tokyo Police Club really, REALLY want to be huge, and it’s so obvious that it’s kind of unsettling. But hey, if a band exercises their desperation while managing to churn out some of their best stuff, I can’t really complain. On Forcefield, there are at least three spots where you can just TELL they are trying for a hit. The most excruciating example is the first single “Hot Tonight”, which sounds like a slightly more tolerable “Party in the USA”. Fortunately, every other song is a home run – even “Toy Guns” and its echoes of “Pumped Up Kicks” offer way more charm than the latter. The three-part, 9-minute “Argentina” kicks off the album courageously, providing a suite of irresistibly intertwining guitar and synth lines that perfectly contrast David Monk’s curious, childlike vocal lines. Despite the fact that some of it has an overtly manufactured feel, Forcefield has plenty to enjoy.

Merge

17. Hospitality – Trouble

Hospitality’s self-titled debut introduced Amber Papini as a talented and quirky songwriter, but her work on Trouble gives her a much-needed air of mystery. After the debut, I was expecting this album to be another quaint little slab of power-pop influenced indie twee stuff. Instead, it gets into some dark and downright strange territory for a band everyone was ready to pigeonhole as cute and innocent. These songs find the band treading into some stark, new wave style waters, while Papini does her best to release her inner Chrissie Hynde. The unique, syncopated rhythms and unravelling guitars of “I Miss Your Bones” make it one of the year’s must-hear songs.

Xtra Mile

16. Cheap Girls – Famous Graves

Cheap Girls are the most refreshingly unpretentious rock band working today, and man, do they work hard. While their early years presented them as somewhat all over the place, relentless touring has shaped them into an unstoppable power trio. Last year’s Giant Orange catapulted them closer to the forefront of the indie rock world than ever before. Famous Graves is simply a continuation – it doesn’t break any new ground for the band, but shows them maintaining their focus on a sound they have carefully carved out for themselves. The straight-ahead, driving 90’s-esque chord changes of “Slow Nod” that kick off the record lays it all out on the table right away – the music of Cheap Girls is an open book. You get just what you hear, but damn is it fun to sing along with.

Secretly Canadian

15. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream

After a breakup, sometimes the most appealing activity is to sit alone and wallow in your own self-pity. Essentially, Lost in the Dream is a soundtrack for this state of being. These aren’t songs as much as they are dreamy, regretful sentiments lost in a wash of pink-clouded musical skylines. Band leader Adam Granduciel has said he was trying to avoid the “conventions of hook” when making this record. Accordingly, there is not a lot about these songs that is traditionally “catchy”. Rather, the music attempts to capture one of those brief moments in time where you simultaneously feel everything and nothing, those little blips of life that silently baffle us all. It’s easy to see why this is the overall Album of the Year, based on most of the already-published year-end lists. Lost in the Dream walks that thin line between singer-songwriter rock and ambient background music (two genres that are currently seeing a renaissance). By fusing these genres, The War on Drugs are essentially combining two huge audiences, and judging by the overwhelming critical acclaim and sold out tours, the strategy has worked wonders. Personally, I am more a fan of the ideas behind this record and its production style than the songs themselves. Many songs are so similar to old Springsteen tunes (the track “Burning” somehow recalls both “Dancing in the Dark” and Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks”), and Granduciel’s singing style is so Dylan-esque that it almost seems imitative. Still, Lost in the Dream is a triumph in many ways.

Domino

14. Owen Pallett – In Conflict

Owen Pallett is one of my favorite people working in music today. Aside from being an insanely talented songwriter who constantly spans the stylistic spectrum, he is seemingly one of the coolest, most genuine artists around. If you are losing faith in the coolness of “celebrities” these days, just read one of Pallett’s interviews. He will help remind you that there are still some sane, normal people doing this stuff simply because they love it immensely. Pallett’s last LP, Heartland, was my number 2 album of 2011. An incredibly ambitious and dense concept album, but filled with some of the most inventive songwriting of the last decade, it’s one of those albums that’s almost impossible to surpass. But, Pallett doesn’t really think like that. He’s not in it to keep us riveted, necessarily. He just wants to make cool records, and he definitely continues that streak with In Conflict. Produced, co-written and co-performed with Brian Eno, the album takes a slight step into more traditional song structures while managing to maintain Pallett’s individuality. It’s not as groundbreaking as Heartland, and not as consistent, but many of the songs are of a similar quality. The title track and “Song for Five and Six” are successful forays into a poppier territory, with Pallett’s trademark violin adding its irresistible spice to make them his own.

Matador

13. The New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers

Taking more tips from the Game Theory playbook than ever before, A.C. Newman and co. have produced the most lively, fun and unique album in the New Porn’s catalog. From the moment it kicks off, Brill Bruisers presents a cascade of inventive and impeccably produced baroque pop jams, complete with vocal arrangements that would make Brian Wilson envious. Newman’s songwriting is more consistent than ever, and the vocal and/or songwriting contributions from Neko Case, Kathryn Calder and (especially) Dan Bejar are top notch. As far as bands with the collective mentality go, The New Pornographers seem to have it down to an exact science at this point. They’ve recognized that each member should have a clear role in the group that plays to their strengths, and with how consistent they have been in recent years, it seems not much can get in their way.

Sub Pop

12. King Tuff – Black Moon Spell

The opening guitar riff of the title track of King Tuff’s third album is as perfect of a mission statement as a listener will get from any song that came out in 2014. It sounds like the album in general – raw, rough, in the red, fun, air-guitar-worthy rock and roll music. So, for anyone who has listened to King Tuff in the past – no, nothing has really changed. But did you really want it to? King Tuff’s simple mission to rock is a breath of fresh air in today’s indie community, and on Black Moon Spell, it feels better than ever. The band has continued to master their formula of combining pop melodies with hair-metal-inspired guitar riffs, while especially channeling T. Rex on this collection (even down to the Frankie Vallie inspired background vocals). The songwriting is incredibly consistent, and makes for a really fun rock record that is way too easy to play all the way through.

Domino

11. Real Estate – Atlas

Sometimes, it can be frustrating when a band chooses to stay inside the box they have built for themselves. Other times, you are kind of thankful for it. In the case of Real Estate’s third album, I’m kind of on the fence in that regard. On the one hand, the songs on Atlas are consistently good. On the other hand, it’s my least favorite album by the band, and presents them taking absolutely no steps forward with their sound. But hey, if the songs are good and you find yourself spinning the record over and over again, does all of that even matter? Essentially, the situation I am describing is what happens pretty much any time a band begins to enter the mainstream, and honestly, it could be a lot worse for Real Estate. Though it seems they are catering to what people want, they are obviously trying really hard to keep the quality of their music intact. And really, I have to give it to them – they have more or less succeeded. Atlas is the indie equivalent of the pop album you don’t want to like but can’t help but listen to over and over again. It’s not breaking any new ground, but it’s a damn fine collection of songs.

In recent years, the Brewis brothers have made regular appearances on my lists. My favorite album of 2012 was Plumb by their main band, Field Music. This year, brother Peter has been especially busy with two completely different projects. The first to meet the world was the sophomore release by School of Language, which continues the obtuse, unpredictable song structures of Field Music, but with a decidedly funky slant. Old Fears is all at once breathtakingly beautiful and irresistibly dance-y, with brother David providing his trademark, almost Bonham-esque backbeat.

Memphis Industries

Frozen by Sight, by comparison, is completely out of left field. A collaboration with Maximo Park singer Paul Smith, the album seems as coldly deliberate and constructed as its blueprint-inspired liner notes. But within the sparse sea of tight string arrangements and punchy drums, some unexpected melodic beauty regularly seeps through the cracks. The contrast of Smith’s purely observational lyrics (taken straight from his tour journals) with Brewis’ brain-twisting arrangements makes for many unexpected surprises.

Epitaph

9. Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again

Joyce Manor’s 2012 sleeper hit Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired was a pop punk hodgepodge of sorts – equal parts impeccably produced punk anthems, post punk experimentation, acoustic bedroom recordings, and even an 80’s cover tune thrown in for good measure. After being picked up by Epitaph, it was assumed their follow up album would be a slicker, more mainstream affair. Though this is definitely the case, JM have not lost their sense of fun and unpredictability. The songwriting on Never Hungover Again just as varied, spanning influences ranging from Bad Religion (“In the Army Now”) to The Smiths (“Heated Swimming Pool”) all the way to Guided by Voices (“Schley”). Producer Brett Gurewitz (of Bad Religion) gives the band an uncharacteristic gleam, and it seems he even had some sway over song choice (the very BR-esque “In the Army Now” and the obvious single “Heart Tattoo” sound less like Joyce Manor and more like common Epitaph bands). But overall, Never Hungover Again is a successful attempt by Joyce Manor to develop their sound while carefully expanding their audience.

Xtra Mile

8. Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues

One of the most important punk albums of the decade, the 6th album from Against Me! came right at a time when the transgender community was looking for a strong and unshakable voice. Enter Laura Jane Grace. On past AM releases, the voice of Tom Gable sounded so gruff that one could almost get the impression he was trying too hard. And maybe he really was. On Transgender Dysphoria Blues, letting Laura Jane out of her cocoon seems like the best decision anyone could have made. Her voice sounds clear, confident, and capable of carrying any sort of emotional load. “True Trans Soul Rebel” has to be one of the most relevant anthems of recent years, perfectly detailing (with no sentimentality or cheesiness) the experience of not knowing yourself but still doing whatever you can to pull back into the world. It’s specifically about being transgender, but it translates into something that feels universal. At a time when transgender people are fighting harder than ever to get their voices heard, this is exactly what the community needs. Also, almost every song is completely kickass, and all these factors working together make this album feel like a classic already.

Don Giovanni

7. Nude Beach – 77

As I prepare to embark on a new phase in my life by moving to China to teach English for a semester, I couldn’t help but feel Inside Llewen Davis-esque pangs this year as albums from bands like Ex Hex and Nude Beach began to gain prominence. This album, Nude Beach’s third, was especially surprising. These days, the last thing we expect to be released is a double-album of tunes in a classic power pop style, but this bold move is exactly the one Nude Beach have executed. The album is basically a relentless onslaught of jam-influenced power pop, stuffed so full wonderful songs that it’s kind of overwhelming. But the further down the 77 spiral you go, the easier it is to just let yourself fall.

Asian Man

6. Hard Girls – A Thousand Surfaces

Hard Girls’ previous album, 2012’s Isn’t It Worse, was one of my most-played albums of 2014. I had heard it about a year ago, but it didn’t really hit me at the time. I randomly played it early this year and it was like a train bursting through my room. It was a revelation – so punk, even hardcore at times, but with an undeniably poppy slant and amazingly catchy melodies. It was a hybrid that made complete sense to me. A Thousand Surfaces shows Hard Girls taking a slightly darker path musically, and even though the album takes a bit longer to sink in than their previous one, the result is no less rewarding. The ninja-chop riffage of songs like “Sign on the Dune” and “996 Tears” beg to be played repeatedly, while slower, more pummeling tunes like “Die Slow” begin to open up a whole new world of possibilities for the band.

Captured Tracks

5. Mac Demarco – Salad Days

“As I’m getting older, chip upon my shoulder / Write another year off and kindly resign.” These lyrics from the eponymous opening track of Salad Days paint a picture of Mac Demarco as a lazy, spoiled brat who hasn’t anticipated the amount of work necessary to make his own living. The entirety of Salad Days seems to support this attitude, but oddly enough, it just kind of makes the whole experience better. Rarely do we get such an honest reflection of how success can affect an unsuspecting soul. Accordingly, the pace of the album is lackadaisical and unchanging, which can be frustrating at first. But after a few listens, it’s all too easy to fall into Demarco’s hazy world. Once that happens, songs like “Chamber of Reflection” and “Let My Baby Stay” take on these sort of stoned personalities of their own.

High Dive

4. Shy Boys – Shy Boys

Sometimes when you hear an album, it feels like the whole package is there – the band name, the sound, the look of the album art, and everything just seems to fit together. This synchronicity is something KC’s Shy Boys had from the very beginning, in a seemingly effortless fashion. The first thing one notices is Collin Rausch’s nearly-whispered falsetto, which perfectly couples with his airy, reverb-drenched guitar attack. Almost like a bubble of vindictive angst in a young and reserved soul, the rhythm section of brother Kyle Rausch and fellow songwriter Konnor Ervin (both of the ACBs) provides the unbreakable backbone. This hard-and-soft contrast almost recalls an inversion and head-standing of the Pixies’ tried and true loud-quiet-loud formula. Shy Boys may not have predicted this trend, but they definitely had a leg up on it, and the consistent quality of the songwriting on their debut is enough to put it ahead of many albums in the same vein. Furthermore, the album is so short (10 songs in 22 mins) and so full of ear worms that it may be the most re-playable album of the year.

Yep Rock

3. Sloan – Commonwealth

Sloan have been a band for a long time (1991-present). In fact, they rank as one of the longest-lasting bands with all original members of ALL TIME, right up there with U2. I’m sure some people are asking: How is this possible if I have never heard of them? There are a couple reasons. First of all, Sloan is a power pop band, and power pop has never been popular in the US. It probably never will be. Secondly, Sloan is Canadian, and Canada nurtures their artists in ways that should make the US completely ashamed. Canada demands that musicians receive government benefits, and that radio stations play a certain percentage of Canadian music. This process helps to make music a fairly self-sustaining industry in Canada, and also helps to make kickass bands like Sloan legitimately huge. Anyone think the US should maybe take a hint here?

Most hardcore Sloan fans are aware the band doesn’t listen to any music released after 1983, and the songwriting on Commonwealth continues to reflect this. Taking a cue from one of their favorite bands’ (Kiss) most notoriously unsuccessful stunts (releasing four solo albums at once), each member is given their own “solo side”. Aside from a lackluster third side from Patrick Pentland (which is disappointing, considering how many of the band’s past hits he has penned), the experiment is a prominent power pop success. Jay Ferguson’s side, the most consistent, opens the record with a mini-suite of melodic perfection. The second side belongs to Chris Murphy, who always offers up the most memorable lyrics. On “So Far So Good”, he warns us “Don’t be surprised when we elect another liar / Have you learned nothing from five seasons of The Wire?” And of course, resident weirdo/genius Andrew Scott provides the album’s swan song, a beautiful-if-not-overwhelming musical collage entitled “Forty-Eight Portraits” that combines every cool and maddening aspect of his songwriting into one singular opus. If the songs on Commonwealth are any indicator of the future, Sloan’s wealth of musical gems should continue to grow for some time.

Jagjaguwar

2. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire for No Witness

When has isolation and heartbreak ever felt so good? On her third album, Angel Olsen gathers up the most affecting and universal aspects of these negative experiences and turns them into a catharsis of sorts, producing as diverse and moving a collection of songs as any songwriter in recent memory. Her voice produces a huge sound for such a little person, recalling aspects of Roy Orbison and Leonard Cohen, but with a fragility that could make a puddle out of the most hardened soul. The production is sparse – supposedly, all mics used on the album cost less than $150 each. This gives it a lo-fi yet in-the-studio sort of feel, providing a bed of smoldering ash for Olsen’s desperate musings. The songwriting is all over the map in the best possible way, though. Olsen is obviously a huge appreciator of all sorts of music, and has used this love to uncover her own voice. On Burn Your Fire, it truly shines.

Caldo Verde

1. Sun Kil Moon – Benji

Mark Kozelek has been one of my favorite songwriters for over a decade and has made numerous appearances on my year-end lists. In fact, almost every list I have made for the past 5 years has included one of Kozelek’s albums, whether from his main project Sun Kil Moon, or one of his various solo outings. But within and in between his numerous releases, Kozelek has developed as an artist in unexpected ways. He has always been known for his unabashed forays into human darkness, but while his earlier work with Red House Painters exuded desperation and was drenched with hopelessness, age and experience have shaped Kozelek’s later material into a sharp portrait of observation and acceptance. He is no longer a twenty-something confused and held up by his flaws, but now a forty-something who has the opportunity to look back and “see how it all may have shaped” him.

On Benji, this is exactly what he does, in what feels like real time. The gut-wrenching opener “Carissa” is the album’s mission statement, setting the overall tone of contrasting the bleak unfairness of life with the unshakable need to celebrate it. But it also acts as the opening scene to the visceral movie that is at the heart of this album. In “Carissa”, the main character (presumably Kozelek himself) learns from his mother about the sudden death of one of his younger cousins in an aerosol can explosion. As he makes plans to travel for the funeral, mental movies from throughout his life begin playing in his head – the funeral for his uncle, who died in the same manner, in “Truck Driver”; the chronicling of carnal conquests in “Dogs”; the tragic lives of people he has known in “Michelene”; and the portrait of youthful awe, endless regret and the human need for reparations that is “I Watched The Film The Song Remains The Same”. But life goes on even in tragedy, and he still must deal with a daily life wrought with complications – an aging mother (“I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love”), the meaningless deaths of innocent people (“Pray for Newtown”), getting older and having to pee a lot (“Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes”), and the strange combination of pride and jealousy when a friend’s success outshines his own (“Ben’s My Friend”).

This duality of past and present – and the impeccable manner in which Kozelek allows them to coexist – is what makes Benji feel alive. Pushing the boundaries of the traditional album, or even the concept album, Benji is an unapologetic chronicling of what the grief cycle does to the mind, put together so well it actually unravels the listener. It’s the story of life’s inherent imperfection, told with unflinching bluntness, yet a tenderness that has not been present in Kozelek’s work for some time. If you’ve experienced the death of someone very close to you, this album will probably make you cry. But in the end, you’ll most likely feel like a great weight has been lifted.

One of the strangest, catchiest songs I heard all year. Sean Bonnette’s lyrics are wildly inventive, often hilarious, and they always offer up a buffet of grotesque imagery. He paints a picture of an insane little world that you can’t help but want to visit.

19. Owen Pallett “Song for Five and Six”

Sure, the arpeggio thing is done a lot, and this song is basically built around it. But, Pallett and contributor Brian Eno are big boys with big ideas, and together they push it into some pretty cool territory. As always, Pallett’s orchestral arrangements are stellar, and he continues to experiment with rhythm and sound placement in head-turning ways.

18. The War on Drugs “Red Eyes”

There are lots of addictive tracks on Lost in the Dream, and a few of them get better with each listen. Right now, this one is at the top of the list. It really comes alive right before that main guitar riff, when Adam Granduciel’s “woo!” cues these insanely loud drums that just propel it off the rails.

17. Shellac “You Came In Me”

Three recording engineers picking on Led Zeppelin. It’s pretty enthralling, actually. The first big guitar break, where Albini’s guitar sounds like a fat woman waling in extreme pain, sends me through the roof every time. And with his very few lyrics, Albini still manages to go straight for the jugular. It’s almost as if he tries to pick the least possible words that will have the highest possible offensive impact – a noble experiment.

16. Nude Beach “I Can’t Keep the Tears From Falling”

Tom Petty fans will be pleased with this one. Petty always had a good knack for mixing more traditional rock and roll with power pop sensibilities, just enough to keep from being actually referred to as power pop (because, let’s face it, that’s a marketing death knell). But Nude Beach are straight up, unabashed power pop, recalling the late seventies when the genre experienced arguably it’s greatest renaissance. The fact that the album is called 77 is probably not a coincidence.

15. Real Estate “Talking Backwards”

Real Estate’s songs have taken a more straight-ahead angle since the quirkiness of their debut album, but they have honed their songwriting talents quite nicely. “Talking Backwards” doesn’t mess around – it gets in there with its hook, does its thing and gets out, with hardly a tip of the hat. It just seems so modest, but it sinks in and sticks with you.

14. Tokyo Police Club “Miserable”

I think of this song as pure candy, and man, do I have a sweet tooth. “Miserable” is obviously not the best song ever – in fact, some of the lyrics are almost laughably bad. It’s just like a really, really good pop radio hit, fun and so freakin’ easy to rock out to. Tokyo Police Club seem to be gunning for radio hit status, but at least they are trying to do it their way. They even use like, real guitars and drums and stuff!

13. King Tuff “Beautiful Thing”

King Tuff take their love of T. Rex to an unabashed level on Black Moon Spell, but they manage to find that sweet spot between tribute and innovation that makes it all their own. “Beautiful Thing” is the peak of the experiment, perfectly combining all of those Bolan-esque elements (the sassy attitude, the imagery, the old-school style background vocals) and the King Tuff trademark swagger into one explosive track.

12. Alvvays “Party Police”

I just started listening to this album two weeks ago and a lot of the songs have immediately wormed their way into my brain, this one especially. Molly Rankin has the sexiest deadpan vocal delivery ever, and when she sings “we can find comfort in debauchery”, it makes me think naughty thoughts.

11. The New Pornographers “Brill Bruisers”

This is definitely the best song on the latest New Pornographers album, and it kicks the whole thing off. I like that – some bands feel like they have to bury those songs just a bit, so they don’t blow their wad. But in this case, track 1 is the only appropriate placement. It packs all the crazy vocals and bright sounds of this record into one three-minute sonic celebration.

10. Hard Girls “996 Tears”

Hard Girls take the term “power trio” to new heights. Their from-the-gut musical approach, in-the-red vocal style and undeniable pop sensibility help them stand out from their label mates on Asian Man Records. They’re not quite pop-punk, and not quite pop-rock. In fact, they might have foreshadowed a whole new genre – prick-rock, perhaps? Any way you look at it, even if their songwriting is not always the most glaringly original, Hard Girls have carved out a sound all their own. For anyone interested, “996 Tears” wraps all of this up and puts a neat little bow on top. Not since the Minutemen has there been a band that has so clearly identified their individual roles . The trebly, erratic guitar riffs are the perfect coating for the fuzzed out low end and hyperactive drumming, and man, there is just some wicked synergy here. Hard Girls rock like they are running out of time, so check them out right now, or they just might.

9. Lydia Loveless “Chris Isaak”

This was one of those songs that unexpectedly stuck with me this year. I have never listened to Lydia Loveless before this album, but my preconceived notions pigeonholed her as a take on modern country that I probably wouldn’t be too interested in. Man, was I wrong. Everyone’s all about that Kacey Musgraves chick because she talks about partying and smoking weed, but Loveless is SO much more of a badass. She could knock Musgraves into the next trailer park in a song-off alone. While sex and drugs are most definitely on her agenda, Loveless brings to the table true, unmistakable heartache that seems to ooze from her every pore. After letting her sexy, desperate wails in “Chris Isaak” really sink in, it doesn’t matter how simple of a song it is. You’ll want to keep listening to it again and again just to hear Loveless’ voice reach those heights, as her heart plumbs the depths.

8. Cheap Girls “7-8 Years”

This might be my favorite song ever by Cheap Girls. Ian Graham’s lyrics are widely known to be somewhat self-effacing, but these are downright self-destructive…in only the most charming way, of course. “Kick me in the kidneys really hard, I’m gonna write my name in blood in the backyard,” Graham sings nonchalantly, as if such a thing were a daily occurrence. In fact, most of the lyrics in the song are pretty brilliant. “I’ll be as happy as an unhappy person can actually be, or a leper uninvited from the leper colony.” Lines like that can almost make depression and disillusionment seem appealing. In true Cheap Girls fashion, it’s all set to a completely unpretentious rock and roll backdrop recalling a hybrid of The Replacements, Smoking Popes and and Weezer. This band certainly has a singular vision and do not step outside of it too often, but in the process, they have perfected their focus.

7. Shy Boys “Life is Peachy”

Kansas City’s Shy Boys had two releases this year – their self-titled debut full-length, and their first 7” single. Two songs graced the single, which were this one, and the B-side “Follow the Leader”. Do they realize that each song steals its title from albums by Korn? We may never know… All that aside, this band writes some superb indie pop. For me, “Life Is Peachy” is their defining moment. It somehow manages to showcase their trademark softness (buoyed by Collin Rausch’s near-whispered yet emotive vocals) while presenting them rocking harder as a band than ever before. When Shy Boys are in the studio, keeping it simple seems to be the only rule. I’m not sure if any of their recordings contain a single overdub, as they carry this amazingly lush live feel to them. Shy Boys fill the space, though, with an amazing performance chemistry (surely helped by the fact that Collin and bassist/drummer Kyle Rausch are brothers who have played music together most of their lives) and a great sensibility for sound placement. The vocal cadence at the end propels the song into anthem status, and jackhammers “Life Is Peachy” deep into the psyche.

6. Sloan “Cleopatra”

Sloan have been one of my favorite bands since 1999, so it’s difficult for me to step back from them to gain perspective. The plethora of gems on their 11th release help to continue that personal challenge for me. Sloan has 4 members and 4 songwriters, and throughout their career have maintained a near-perfect democratic division of work. On their second double album Commonwealth, each member gets their own “solo side”, a move most likely influenced by Kiss’ bold yet unsuccessful simultaneous release of 4 solo albums in 1979. (This is no coincidence – Sloan are enormous Kiss fans.) After having his songs relegated to second or third best in the past, guitarist Jay Ferguson finally steals the show with his album-opening side. The penultimate “Cleopatra” takes the inventive energy and stark beauty of his side and stirs it up into one completely addictive track. Even if part of it does utilize a hook from the earlier track “You’ve Got A Lot On Your Mind” (continuing a style he began tinkering with on their last album The Double Cross, also terrific), it’s done so well that it only helps to elevate his string of songs into an entity all their own. “Cleopatra” is the height of it, though. It’s power pop with little pinches of classic rock and indie sensibilities, and it’s full of hooks that simply soar.

5. Hospitality “I Miss Your Bones”

Since 2012, Amber Papini’s songwriting has progressed in some interesting ways. While Hospitality’s debut was more or less a straight-up twee record, their sophomore effort Trouble comes fairly close to being genre-defying. “I Miss Your Bones” seems like the reference point, the blueprint of the band’s overall goal for this album. A pummeling guitar riff in 10/4 time undercuts Papini’s cooing vocals, combining the jarring musicality of Sleater-Kinney with the pouty attitude of Chrissy Hynde. As its turn-on-a-dime rhythms pivot around a catchy yet obtuse chord progression, the whole thing gradually devolves in the most awesomely sporadic way. It all falls together, apart, and barely together again. As if maintaining balance on a tight wire, reaching the end feels almost death-defying.

4. Mac Demarco “Chamber of Reflection”

Mac Demarco’s third album surprised a lot of people, and not always in a good way. In contrast to his stylistically diverse 2012 record 2, nearly every song on Salad Days lurches along at the same lackadaisical tempo, almost to the point of sounding like Demarco recorded the whole thing lying on his back. Give it some time, though – this album is a grower. Specifically, let Salad Days play through to side two standout “Chamber of Reflection” at least a few times. It’s completely uplifting, even in the midst of its hopeless sentiments. Something about the sparse chord changes and unique usage of analog synths combined with an uncharacteristically breathy lead vocal from Demarco makes it seem timeless, even as he proudly wears his 70’s influences on his 80’s-soaked sleeve.

3. Sun Kil Moon “I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same”

I don’t play video games, but I think it’s cool that companies are starting to push the envelope and make games more like interactive movies (2013’s The Last of Us is a terrific example). Sun Kil Moon’s Benji, my favorite album of 2014, feels like the album version of this idea. It’s probably as close to a movie as you can get without actually watching one, thanks to Mark Kozelek’s extremely verbose and revealing autobiographical musings. If Benji is the movie, “I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same” is the movie within it. This seems appropriate, considering the song is Benji’s centerpiece and it actually mentions a movie – but the idea goes further than that. The album begins with the death of an estranged family member, and as Kozelek tries to deal with all of the immediate implications of this, his past slowly begins to haunt him. “I Watched the Film” is a ten-minute journey from the absolute depth of his depression, when he is at his most hopeless, to the point when he begins to climb out of it. As Kozelek walks us through his deepest life regrets and painful memories, we as listeners are forced to face ours, as well. It’s about as cathartic as music has ever been.

2. Angel Olsen “Forgiven/Forgotten”

“I don’t know anything, but I love you.” Is there any better way to sum up the confusing nature of relationships? These days, the term “it’s complicated” is used more and more, and Angel Olsen knows this all too well. In under two-and-a-half minutes, with a rock fervor uncharacteristic of the rest of Olsen’s starkly brilliant Burn Your Fire for No Witness, “Forgiven/Forgotten” manages to sum up the simultaneous sadness, longing and infatuation that keeps so many couples together, often wrongly. It’s almost like the musical interpretation of the end of Annie Hall, in which Woody Allen questions why people keep getting themselves into relationships if all they will find at the end is heartbreak. Olsen seems to feed off of it, as if these situations are fuel for her pain-soaked, Cohen/Orbison hybrid style of crooning. But if songs like this are the result of such affairs, by all means, let her have ‘em.

1. Against Me! “True Trans Soul Rebel”

The music of Against Me! was once a much more primal affair. Their early tunes were extremely political, many of them using almost a group pub sing-along vibe to lash out against what they perceived as an unjust world. On Transgender Dysphoria Blues, songwriter Tom Gable introduces herself as Laura Jane Grace, and turns further inward than ever before. The result is by far the band’s most personal record, but Grace hasn’t lost touch with the outside world. “True Trans Soul Rebel” is a microcosm of what the album does so well – it presents the experience of being trans in a way that makes it seem universal. “Yet to be born, you’re already dead,” Grace sings, as an onslaught of barreling guitars and drums propel her already irresistible melodies. The song is contagiously self-affirming; accessible, yet undeniable. In a time when our next defining civil rights movement will more than likely involve the transgender community, this song feels like the most important rock anthem of the decade, let alone 2014.

20. Ty Segall – Sleeper
I find it interesting that this Bay Area garage rocker received so much attention last year with his noise-rock albums Slaughterhouse, Hair and Twins, and this year when he releases the all-acoustic Sleeper, hardly a peep is made. It sure doesn’t take people long to pigeonhole you, does it? Granted, the album was aptly titled in that it was a very quiet release – there was hardly any promotion, and literally, it is Ty Segall’s softest album ever. The fact that it was released so swiftly after so many 2012 releases makes me think the songs on Sleeper represent a sort of puttering out point of Segall’s dam-burst of inspiration that resulted in last year’s slew of awesome. This makes it sort of appropriate that the songs would be acoustic, almost as if they were afterthoughts quickly laid to tape, perhaps out of frustration or perhaps in the spirit of things. Whatever the story is, it yielded some fantastic tunes – particularly the first half of the album. The title track has a haunting sing-song-y melody, and the sudden electric guitar solo on “Man Man” is mind-tearing.

Prescriptions

19. Future of the Left – How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident
I didn’t hear this album until very recently because I didn’t even know it existed – it was released in October, and I purchased it a little over a month later. Then I realized Future of the Left released the album on their own label, and that over half the material is about how evil record companies are and how shitty it is to be on a record label. I feel the two are correlated. More power to the band for releasing the album themselves, but it definitely comes at the cost of good promotion and distribution. Oh well, no matter – Future of the Left has never sounded better. A lot of people are complaining about the lack of synths on Accident, as it is very stripped down to the basic power-trio nature of the band. Of course I am going to love this – I am never going to mourn the loss of a synth. I will applaud the addition of them if truly necessary, but I do not understand this modern public fascination with synth sounds that echo the ones I made on the little Casio I messed around with when I was 9 years old. If I seem angry, I am not – I’m just venting. That’s what this album is for, and it’s probably what the band themselves are doing – venting their frustrations after being fucked around by labels for so long. It’s primal, it’s fierce, it’s LOUD, it’s insane, it’s kinda scary, and when I first heard it, the drums sounded so great I thought it was produced by Steve Albini. It’s not – actually, it’s self produced. Anyone into FOTL right now is witnessing a one-of-a-kind band in their prime, and that’s exciting stuff.

Get Well

18. Jamie Woolford – A Framed Life in Charming Light
Jamie Woolford is a Texas musician who used to be in the bands Animal Chin and The Stereo, and he now works as a producer and solo artist. This is appropriate, because something about the songs on this album sound like they were written by a producer. They are meticulously and formulaically laid out, almost to a comedic point – about halfway into the album, it becomes pretty obvious that every song is going to get loud and have that part where it gets quiet for a second then gets really loud again. The thing is, stuff like that used to bother me, but I actually appreciate it now. It shows a dedication to one’s craft and a focus that not a lot of people possess. And especially when the songs are this good, it’s pretty easy to forgive. Woolford has a wonderful pop sensibility, and is an obvious fan of power pop. His songs are meant to be slices of worlds, little symphonies with characters and plots – at the very least, an appreciation of the likes of Brian Wilson is almost certain. If anything, the album is worth something because of “She’s on Fire”, a sweet-ass slice of guitar pop set to this sort of indie-rock waltz rhythm that possesses its own little planet of mind-blowing awesomeness.

Learn how to play it! (?)

Caldo Verde

17. Mark Kozelek and Desertshore – Mark Kozelek and Desertshore
I admit it has gotten to the point where if Mark Kozelek puts something out, it will probably make it to my year-end list. This is because I treasure honesty in music, and I have not found a more honest songwriter than Mark Kozelek working today. The dude will tell you like it is, no matter how sad or fucked up or evil, and he’ll do it with a straight face and a golden baritone. He put out several albums in 2013 (including an acoustic covers album and a wonderful electronic collaboration with The Album Leaf), but the clear standout is his album with indie rock band Desertshore, which features Kozelek’s former Red House Painters band mate Phil Carney. As a huge RHP fan, I gotta say: After a slew of admittedly beautiful but somewhat monotonous acoustic albums, it’s great to hear the band (kinda) back together again. There are a lot of moments that echo early RHP – the starkly pretty “You Are Not of My Blood”, with it’s haunting vocals and molasses-thick pace, could have easily been included on the Rollercoaster album. And then, of course, there are a lot of moments that are just classic, asshole Kozelek, most notably in “Livingstone Bramble” in which he casually pits himself victoriously against several modern guitar players and says “I hate Nels Cline” 4 times.

Bridge 9

16. Lemuria – The Distance Is So Big
When it comes to Lemuria, I guess I am one of those annoying fans that can’t get over their first album, Get Better. I love that album so much, and it helped to make this band one of my top 5 favorites of recent years. In fact, it kind of felt like high school all over again, because it has almost been that long since I have REALLY loved an album that much, to the point where I absolutely have to go back and listen to everything the band has done. So needless to say, it’s going to be difficult to top that record in my mind. The Distance Is So Big, while a glorious album, is aptly named in that it doesn’t come close. But it still captures the rare and growing talents of this unique band, and it and it shows they are building upon their sound and overall musicianship in very interesting ways. “Brilliant Dancer”, with its multi-layered musical themes and sharp pop hooks, is most definitely a Song of the Year contender.

This b-side form the “Brilliant Dancer” single also rules.

Matador

15. Lee Ranaldo & The Dust – Last Night on Earth
Former Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo and his new backing band The Dust (which features Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley) put on one of the best live shows I saw in 2013, opening for Built to Spill here in Lawrence a few months ago. It was one of those magical sets where you can almost see the telepathy working like laser paths across the stage, drawing out the connections between the musicians. I bought Ranaldo’s first solo record last year and enjoyed it, but was not prepared for what this band would grow into. Also, I was not prepared for whatever blast of inspiration Ranaldo had that caused him to write these songs. Maybe it was just getting a new band together and playing with incredible musicians again – dare I say, even better musicians than the ones you played with in your old band of over 30 years. While by no means a perfect album, Last Night on Earth stands as a testament to working bands everywhere that the best records are still made with 4 people rocking together in a room, just as the inner gatefold photo of the LP suggests.

Polyvinyl

14. Owen – L’Ami du Peuple
Even if Mike Kinsella is guilty of resting on his laurels in recent years, his musical talent always shines through in some way. Stylistically, his guitar playing has been hugely influential since the American Football days, and that inventiveness still exists in some form on Owen’s latest album. Though not all the songs are great, there are some clear gems, like the instant Owen classic that opens the record, “I Got High”. Some songs, like “Blues to Black”, combine the somber acoustic sounds of his more recent solo albums with the unapologetic emo of his early bands like Cap’n Jazz or American Football, with an altogether new result. The deceivingly simple “The Burial” and its unassuming, intertwining melodies are a complete departure and nothing short of breathtaking, beautifully marrying cheesy synths with dabbles of swelling strings. Even though he probably won’t stray too far from the comfort of his little Owen box, I will always look forward to a record from Kinsella. He is simply a consistent talent.

Merge

13. Superchunk – I Hate Music
In this writer’s humble opinion, Superchunk released their best album ever in 2011, Majesty Shredding. For a band that started putting out records back in the late 80’s, it’s quite a feat to make the album of your career almost 25 years later. But Mac McCaughan and company have been busting their asses in the music biz for over half their lives. Even when Superchunk was on hiatus, he and bassist/ex-girlfriend Laura Ballance kept themselves busy running one of the big three modern “indie” labels, Merge Records. So, I Hate Music is a sarcastic title then, right? I wouldn’t count on it. Anyone who dedicates this much of life to something will inevitably learn to love AND hate it with all of their being. This attitude is almost completely embodied in the minute-long, phoned-in-but-still-somehow-awesome punk song “Staying Home”, which could soon become an anthem for aging hipsters who either think they have seen it all, or simply don’t have the energy to see any more. But that’s all very tongue-in-cheek, as the rest of the album is just as fun and ass-kicking as any of your favorite Superchunk albums. Overall, the songwriting seems a little more one-note compared to Majesty Shredding, but I Hate Music is still a fantastic record.

Frenchkiss

12. Local Natives – Hummingbird
This is such a sad, serious album, but I kept finding myself listening through to the end every time it would come on. That’s the interesting thing about Local Natives – you want to hate them for being these hipster, New York transplant kids, but their songwriting talents make that very difficult to do. You kinda want to hate them for enlisting Aaron Dessner of the National to produce the album and co-write a few songs, too – I mean, doesn’t tapping a member of one of the most popular rock bands in the country kind of seem like an obvious move? Well, yes, but definitely not a dumb one – the resulting album Hummingbird presents a perfected softness within the band that seems nicely transferred over from the National camp. LN has never been afraid to rock, but for this album, they obviously wanted to present a more sensitive side. They manage to do this without being boring, and even get a little creepy at times. The opening piano lines of closing track “Bowery” present the kinds of melodies you’d hear in your head while half-awake, just after being visited by the ghost of a long-lost friend in your sleep.

What’s Your Rupture

11. Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold/Tally All the Things that You Broke EP
Imagine Pavement if they were even sloppier and less talented musically, and you would have something like Parquet Courts. That may not sound very appealing, and believe me, this band was not appealing to me at first listen. But something about them kept me coming back. I think it’s their obvious aversion to taking themselves too seriously, which is something so many bands suffer from these days. Plus, they have some really great, original tunes that add up to more than the sum of their influences. You know how some bands can like, NOT use tuners and somehow still sound great? And if you’re in a band, you like, HATE them for it? That band would probably be Parquet Courts, and after hating on them with your friends for a while and maybe hearing the irresistible “Stoned and Starving” a few times, you’d probably be reeling with happiness on the inside while saying out loud “I guess this is actually pretty OK.” Then a few years later, they’ll be band you rock out to uncontrollably. Parquet Courts just have that sense of punk urgency about them, along with a huge dose of self-effacement, which makes for an awesome time.

Merge

10. Mikal Cronin – II
It was extremely refreshing to see an album like Mikal Cronin’s II garner so much praise this year. Why? Because it is, essentially, a power pop record – and we know that as a genre, power pop is historically one of the most unappreciated. Sure, Cronin may be mostly known for his collaborations with Nu-Garage pioneer Ty Segall, but while Segall mainly focuses on soundscapes and awesome guitar noise, Cronin’s focus lies in melody. Maybe that’s what makes this album seem kind of anachronistic to me – the focus on the SONGS. Too often these days, music is allowed to exist as merely background noise. We seem to have forgotten (or stopped caring) that music is capable of so much more – capable of entering your soul for days/weeks/months/years/forever, not just providing the backdrop for a given moment in time. On II, Cronin gives us a collection of songs that seem to exist solely for repurposing that argument. He taps into a Weezer-meets-Beach Boys vein right off the bat with “Weight”, and the wonderful songwriting stays consistent throughout. On “Change”, the album’s centerpiece, exploding guitars give way to insane, chaotic orchestral bursts, creating a modern pop classic.

Matador

9. Yo La Tengo – Fade
When I was in high school in the late 90’s, Yo La Tengo was one of the main bands that introduced me to “indie rock”. Nowadays, they are one of my favorite bands of all time. No other currently active rock band seems to really understand what it means to be “indie” – sure, the record label you are on can clue you in to a band’s overall independence from the mainstream, but that is only the beginning of what it means. Yo La Tengo are STILL indie pioneers to this day, because they still don’t give a FUCK what you think, and they are not going to be all boisterous or cocky or mysterious about it. They are simply going to play the music they want to play, make the records they want to make, and continue aging as gracefully as Neil Young all the way to another handful of classic albums. Go ahead and lump Fade into that category, already. It stands as one of their most consistent of their 2000’s era, and presents them staying true to their minimalistic and beautiful songwriting style. The single-chord mantra-set-to-music “Ohm”, which opens the album, is an instant classic – almost YLT in their purest form. If the next few tracks seem like the band revisiting their catalog (a la 2009’s brilliant Popular Songs), the second half of the album clues us in to their further transition. “Before We Run”, the album’s closing symphonic anthem, is epic without necessarily being long, like so many YLT album-closers are. It proves that they continue to strive for perfection in their craft, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the next album won’t be full of 15-minute flip-out rockers – it all depends on how they are feeling at the time.

Graveface

8. Hospital Ships – Destruction In Yr Soul
The first two Hospital Ships albums banked on the rise of the twee/freak folk genre that has since become all but a thing of the past. But on their third album, Lawrence townie staple Jordan Geiger and co. (who have since relocated to Austin) expand the depth and width of not only their sound, but their overall relevance. Destruction In Yr Soul has that fine-line sort of feel of sounding very well produced, yet completely off the cuff at the same time, as if half of it was produced in a professional studio while the other half was thrown together at home. The beautiful melodies of “If it Speaks” and “Desolation Waltz” are laden with sonic discrepancies, giving them a creepy, other-worldly feel. And while the album starts out somewhat hopeful with one of the year’s best songs (“Come Back To Life”), the experience becomes increasingly heavy, with following eight songs delving headfirst into the pointless nothingness some call life. That may seem like an overstatement, but it’s hard not to think exactly that after hearing Geiger sing about how we will “Laugh all the way to the gallows”. But after all this, we come out the other side feeling dirty, wide-eyed and fulfilled – almost like the end of a long mushroom trip.

Anti-

7. Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
Neko Case has made her reputation not only from her recurring stint as a singer in indie-pop cult band The New Pronographers, but her string of very well-received alt-country solo albums over the last fifteen years. She has also appeared in several other projects (like the popular Americana act The Sadies, for example), but The Worse Things Get seems like something altogether new for the singer. With songs like the completely a capella “Nearly Midnight, Honolulu” – one of the most chilling songs I have heard in a long, long time – Case has come to the realization that she is the headliner, without coming to a diva’s conclusion that she doesn’t need anyone else. Some of the songs, like the A.C. Newman-esque “Man”, act as extensions of what she has tackled in previous years, but that doesn’t make these songs any less compelling. Just like any other musician who works this tirelessly over a long period, she is simply out to perfect her art. These days, she is succeeding more than ever.

Matador

6. Kurt Vile and the Violators – Wakin On A Pretty Daze
I don’t know why, but I can’t quit Kurt Vile. Sometimes, his lackadaisical delivery and simple song structures seem like a product of laziness. But even in those moments, you can’t deny the guy has talent. Wakin On A Pretty Daze is more than pleasant, but not necessarily surprising – after the accessibility of his last album, I half-expected Vile’s next release to be an album full of ten-minute songs. What it is, however, is a very satisfying culmination of everything Vile has done up to this point – the stream-of-consciousness ramblings of Constant Hitmaker, the strange-yet-melodic white noise of Childish Prodigy, and the straightforward and heartbreaking folk of Smoke Ring For My Halo are all utilized to the fullest with John Agnello’s expertly hands-off production. The changing, strolling pace of “Wakin on a Pretty Day” followed by the Neil Young riffage of “KV Crimes” might represent the best opening one-two punch of the year; while the hazy, told-you-so attitude of “Was All Talk” along with the heartbreaking “Too Hard” prove this guy is still well beyond his years as a songwriter.

Independent

5. Danny Pound – Hobby Howl
It seems like the more years pop music has been a thing, the more painstaking a process it becomes to create an album. It has gotten to the point where if you want your song on the radio, it HAS to sound a certain way, no exceptions. People wonder why radio plays the same 20 songs – they don’t, they just all sound like the same song. Our brains have been shaped around this homogenized bullshit for too long, and we really need to start trying to recognize when a true work of art comes our way. This is what we have in Hobby Howl, the third solo album by Danny Pound (of the Regrets and formerly Vitreous Humor). Created on a 4-track in the comfort of his own home with friends, Hobby Howl is Danny Pound letting his guard down completely, allowing his later folk/Randy Newman-heavy influences to marry clumsily yet memorably with his youthful alternative sensibilities. It came out very late in the year, but the first time I heard it, I knew I had an instant Midwest classic in my player. Especially with my increasing age and skepticism, it’s almost impossible to find an album that grabs me in such a way these days.

Jagjaguwar

4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II
WARNING: I’m going to talk about Radiohead for a brief moment. I didn’t want to love the Kid A album, but I do, all the same. It’s brilliant, but I still resent it somewhat for convincing people that guitars are irrelevant. It’s a way of thought that is still prevalent to this day, 13 years after the album was released. It changed the musical landscape more so than any other album in my lifetime, other than Nevermind. So it’s infinitely refreshing to hear an album like UMO’s II – a record built completely around funky, progressive, fiery guitar riffs and soulful melodies. It sounds almost as if some Motown band decided they wanted to play garage rock and recorded their album on an old, neglected reel-to-reel 4-track. It’s an incredibly eclectic mix of styles and sounds, but refreshingly minimalistic, with a hands-off production style that lets the songs speak for themselves. “Swim and Sleep”, “The Opposite of Afternoon” and “Faded in the Morning” were all huge guitar anthems for me this year. But then there are songs like “So Good at Being In Trouble” that are kind of tender and almost like R&B in a way, with smooth vocals and grooves – and again, just incredibly sick guitar sounds all around.

Merge

3. William Tyler – Impossible Truth
When I was a kid, my parents were in their late 30’s and decidedly exiting the young-carefree-hippie era of their lives. As the partying decreased, the music became softer, less interesting, and in many cases, instrumental. If what I am describing sounds like mundane, adult easy-listening tripe, that’s because it was. But even still, much of it was played during my formative years, and a lot of those cheesy, instrumental guitar arpeggios that took the place of vocal lines somehow wormed their way into my little skull. I think this has much to do with why I found William Tyler’s Impossible Truth so compelling. Once I heard it was an instrumental record, I was ready to write it off immediately. But from the moment I hit play, I was completely mesmerized – and I still am, over and over again, every time I spin it. Also the guitarist for indie band Lambchop, Tyler’s album never assumes the need for vocal lines, as the main star is (and rightly should be) his guitar. Riffs run from his fingers effortlessly, and the melodies are just as timeless (maybe even more so) as they would be if they were sung with words. It’s beautifully recorded and produced, and many of the riffs recall some of the best rock music of all time, like the Stones’ “Paint it Black” (“Geography of Nowhere”) or Zeppelin’s “Bron Y Aur” (“Hotel Catatonia”). It feels like a love letter to music from an enthusiastic record nerd, so how could I NOT love this album?

High Dive

2. The ACB’s – Little Leaves
Kansas City has so much talent seeping out of it, but I almost wish they didn’t know it. Maybe then, KC musicians would take themselves a little less seriously, relax a bit, and be able to produce something as original and effortless-sounding as Little Leaves. Musicians have a tendency to get lost in their own heads, sometimes so much so that they feel their music should sound a certain way, to “prove” what kind of artist they are. The ACB’s stand out as having no real delusions of grandeur – they certainly care about the music they create (probably more so than most things in life), but they do not feel the need to build their entire individual identities around their musical talents. This attitude carries over so well into their songwriting which, on their third full-length, explores a plethora of human emotion against the backdrop of an incredibly inclusive musical palate. For a band known mostly for their up-tempo pop songs, it’s pretty gutsy to include two snail-paced acoustic tracks in the first half of the album. But as “Intro (All Over)” kicks it off, its sad melody and startling honesty immediately grab hold. From then on, it’s a quick slide down through decades of nerd-pop influence and quirky, catchy melodies sung in Konnor Ervin’s breathy, fragile falsetto. Band member Andrew Connor and producer Mike Nolte (both of KC indie stalwarts Ghosty) lend their mysterious blend of synths, meticulous guitar work and reverb-drenched aura to the band’s already-established sound, elevating the overall experience of Little Leaves into something truly special. We should all be very proud to have The ACB’s in our backyard.

Independent

1. My Bloody Valentine – MBV
Kevin Shields may have taken 22 years to follow up 1991’s classic album Loveless, but considering how breathtaking of an album MBV is, I don’t think anyone should be complaining. I mean, he could have very well just fallen off the face of the musical world completely, and we may never have had this wonderful record. The question everyone is asking: Is it as good as Loveless? Here, let me ask a question: Why ask that question? Aside from the fact they were made and released so far apart (within a lapse of time big enough for a person to be born, graduate from college and transform into a whole new person), it’s almost impossible to compare the two. While Loveless seemed to pride itself in pleasantly overloading our speakers and minds with layers of pummeling overdrive, MBV seems more occupied with carrying us along a flowing, fuzzy river of white noise and psychedelia – that is, until the last third of the album, when Shields decides to assault our eardrums more than ever before. Considering that much of MBV was recorded in the mid-to-late nineties, there is something very anachronistic about the album, while some have even been so bold as to call it flat-out irrelevant. But a lot of these folks are also content to live in an era in which awesome-sounding guitars are replaced with breathy, piddling, washed-out synth sounds. I, for one, am ready to see that trend get on its way outta here, and I think Kevin Shields feels the same. He has, after all, built his career around the guitar – maybe he feels it’s finally time to come to its defense. If there’s one song that does it more than any on MBV, it’s “In Another Way”, which alternates walls of jet-engine distortion with brilliant harmonic and tremelo work. But if Shields truly is waging war, how do you describe the already impossible to describe “Is This and Yes”? The song, nothing but keyboards and Belinda Butcher’s cooing vocals, almost seems to embrace current trends. If the rest of the album didn’t seem so damn determined to blow them away, I’d almost venture to say they could be the next Washed Out. But I would never insult My Bloody Valentine like that.

Apologies to fans of the site that I have not been posting more. I am making it a new year’s resolution to up my blogging game, so hopefully, you’ll be seeing more material soon. Thank you for the continued support.

Last week, a certain publication that focuses solely on classic rock published a list of the “Top 10 Greatest Cheap Trick Songs”. The list – which named several mediocre Trick songs, excluded tons of classics, and frustratingly named their most overplayed song (“I Want You to Want Me”) as their greatest – was an outrage to my band, The Dead Girls. Personally, I was outraged enough to actually make my own list. Though I realize this will probably shake things up even more, I could not let that list be, as far as I know, the only top ten of Cheap Trick songs in existence. It excluded so many songs that for me define Cheap Trick and make them stand so far out from the pack of everyday “classic rock” bands. I felt it had to be done.

10. Hello There(In Color)

I’m probably in the minority on this, but to my ears, a good chunk of the Live at Budokan stuff is better represented on the Trick’s studio albums. I don’t feel that way about “I Want You to Want Me” (though I do like the album version), but without a doubt, the In Color version of “Hello There” is the most iconic. The way the track kicks off – with the quick scratches from Tom Petersson’s bass, and the frustrated shout of “Hey!” that cues one of the simplest and most memorable rock riffs of all time – is so immediate and relentless, the perfect summation of the brief yet steady power pop blast that In Color provides.

9. Anytime(Cheap Trick 1997)

One of the most offensive things about last week’s aforementioned list was the fact that the most recent Cheap Trick song mentioned was from Dream Police. I remember thinking “Um, guys….you do realize that they have something like 15 albums after that one, right?” In 1997, Cheap Trick made a bona fide comeback with a pummeling album of rock songs. Perhaps because it was a long-awaited return to their rock roots, it was dubbed Cheap Trick’s second self-titled album. “Anytime” is the opening track, sequenced as such to prove right away to any haters or non-believers that THE TRICK STILL HAS IT. Though the song is one of the Trick’s heavier tunes, it has all the right Trick-y ingredients, including a classic Bun E. drum pattern, slick Rick licks, and the glorious wail of Robin Zander, who somehow sounds better than ever here.

8. Southern Girls(In Color)

Every song on this list should have been a massive hit, but how did massive hit status elude “Southern Girls”? It makes absolutely no sense. In Color was released in 1977, a time when simple, loveable, fist-pumping arena rock anthems were all but guaranteed a gold record. “Southern Girls” is the FUCKING DEFINITION of a great, simple, loveable, fist-pumping rock anthem. It has about 20 words, it’s not too complicated, and every second of the song is necessary. Maybe the switch from shuffle beat into a straight rock beat during the bridge throws people off. Maybe putting it as track 8 of 10 on the album forced people to overlook it. Whatever the reason, it’s a damn travesty.

7. Voices(Dream Police)

Another travesty – the fact that “The Flame” is so well known, yet hardly anyone gives props to “Voices”, the best ballad in the Cheap Trick catalog. Aside from its classic chorus and a bridge that induces shivers, the song itself is a powerful exploration of regret. It will strike a chord with anyone who has felt longing for a lost love. As with many other songs on this list, CT still busts this song out at live shows quite often. This should be a testament not only to the overall strength of the Cheap Trick catalog, but also to the undying loyalty of their fan base. (To be fair, “The Flame” wasn’t on the evil list, but I would have preferred it to “California Man”, which WAS listed.)

6. He’s a Whore(Cheap Trick 1977)

CT’s first album is widely known as one of their darker, heavier records, but its hooky power pop tunes are the ones that really get me. To all fans of the Dayton, OH indie legends Guided by Voices – Robert Pollard copped his iconic “Postal Blowfish” riff from this song. The series of 5 and 6 eighth notes bashed from Rick Nielsen’s guitar – a D chord under attack, you might say – sits on just the right part of the line between simple and obvious. Never has one chord wielded so much power. The song may be power pop gold, but the lyrics – which detail the day-to-day life of a self-admitted cretin who will “do anything for money” – are in line with the darker feel of the rest of the album. It’s a classic contrast.

5. Oh, Candy(Cheap Trick 1977)

This is the final track on the first CT album, but it was not supposed to be. Due to a pressing error, sides one and two were accidentally flipped. The first track should have been “ELO Kiddies”, and the last track, “The Ballad of TV Violence”. Makes sense, right? Instead, if you listen to the album as the jacket instructs, “Hot Love” is the opener, and that works just fine. But after I first heard “Oh, Candy”, I could not for the life of me figure out why it was the album’s final song. Not only did it sound like a fucking HIT that should not be shoved to the end of a record, but it has an abrupt ending that, to me, did not seem an appropriate end to this album. If it had been track five as originally planned, maybe some stations would have played the fucker. It has an amazing chorus that seems to elevate the entire song into something inexplicably great, while the lyrics – which detail the band’s reaction to the suicide of photographer and band friend Marshall Mintz (known as M&M, hence “Candy”) – are beautifully tragic.

4. I Can’t Take It(Next Position Please)

This song was left off the evil list, and that is completely unforgiveable. Sure, it comes from a sub-par CT album (1983’s Next Position Please), but it’s almost as if the album was created around this song. If I wrote this song, I would do whatever I could to get it out there, even if it meant writing a bunch of other second-rate tunes to group together with it. I mean, it’s not the ideal scenario, but it can’t always happen that way. This is one of the few CT tunes penned solely by Robin Zander (Rick Nielsen writes the majority of the songs), and it makes me wish he would have written more. Even for a song written and recorded in the early eighties, this one still sounds timeless – there aren’t any tinny drum machines or stupid synths or anything like that. It’s just a straight-up amazing rock song, and it features one of the Trick’s best choruses.

3. Surrender(Heaven Tonight)

Out of all the BIG Trick hits, this one is the best. It has everything a great rock and roll anthem should have, including youthful disillusionment, a soaring chorus, machine-gun snare rolls, and even a KISS reference. Also, and perhaps most importantly, it speaks to the confusion and frustration young people feel about their parents. It even deals with that moment when a person realizes that his or her parents are people just like them, who have flaws and make mistakes – but more importantly, they want to have FUN. And by the way, if a form of entertainment for your parents involves rocking out to KISS, you should consider yourself very lucky.

2. Downed(In Color)

By the time this song was released in 1977 on the In Color album, Cheap Trick had already been a band for 4 years. They spent most of that time playing multiple sets a night at local dive bars, and working their asses off to build the loyal following they now have. The frustrations and the longing for escape detailed in “Downed” seem to be coming from that place. Sure, there are a lot of potential problems laid out in the song – boys and girls, saving the world, waiting for the weekend – but they all seem to originate from that feeling of banging one’s head against the wall that comes with trying to play music for a living. Apart from that, the trajectory and buildup of this song is incredible, and gives me shivers every time.

1. Auf Wiedersehen(Heaven Tonight)

Cheap Trick has a lot of different sides to them – they can be sensitive, they can be contemplative, they can be fun, they can be angry, and it doesn’t stop there. “Auf Wiedersehen”, my all-time favorite CT song, showcases the band at their most fun AND angry. From the moment the song begins, with a guitar chord that sounds like the wing of an airplane exploding and a bass run that seems to detail the aircraft crashing to earth, to its end – with a chorus that simply makes the blood boil – this song captures everything about Cheap Trick that excites me. Furthermore, it nails almost every aspect of what a great rock song should be. There are no egregious parts to the song, nothing is unnecessary. Last but definitely not least, it features what might be the best vocal performance ever from Robin Zander, who is already the best damn vocalist alive. This song wasn’t even mentioned on the evil list, and is too often considered an afterthought. Maybe it’s the dark nature of the lyrics, which talk about hara-kiri and suicide (though most likely not in a literal sense), but the unabashed great rock and roll time the music provides gives the whole thing such a great contrast. If you still need more proof of the effectiveness of this tune, here is a little video of a couple dudes in my band (The Dead Girls) and some other friends rocking out to it before The Darkness show in KC last night. You just can’t argue with rock of this sort.

And here’s the real version…

]]>https://recordgeekheaven.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/record-geek-heavens-top-10-cheap-trick-songs/feed/5recordgeekheavenctbwRecord Geek Heaven’s Top 20 Albums of 2012https://recordgeekheaven.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/record-geek-heavens-top-20-albums-of-2012/
https://recordgeekheaven.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/record-geek-heavens-top-20-albums-of-2012/#commentsWed, 19 Dec 2012 15:24:47 +0000http://recordgeekheaven.wordpress.com/?p=1062Thanks to the fact that 2012 was my busiest year ever as a musician, my routine for listening to music changed pretty drastically. As you may or may not have noticed, there were not a lot of posts this year. However, I was still listening to as much stuff as ever, though it was all in little chunks of time, rather than straight on through the year. As a result, RGH’s 2012 list is a little different from previous ones…but I think you all will appreciate it. I have divided the list into four parts to represent what I was listening to the most during the spring, summer, fall and winter. Let’s begin!

SPRING

1. Field MusicPlumb

2. GhostyGhosty

3. Nada SurfThe Stars
Are Indifferent
To Astronomy

4. HospitalityHospitality

5. Cheap GirlsGiant Orange

2012 started out with such a bang, the rest of the year could not live up to itself. The first three albums on the spring list represent some of the best output of their respective bands, and their re-playability is staggering. On their fourth proper album, Field Music finally discover their long sought-after balance of tunefulness and artiness. Musically, Plumb captures the ambition of Brian Wilson’s Smile without touting any sort of heavy handed concept. The Brewis brothers continue to be unmatched as far as performance, with a drum sound that rivals the best Zeppelin recordings and unprecedented guitar tricks. Quite simply, Plumb is 2012’s biggest triumph. Kansas City’s Ghosty have done something similar with their self-titled 3rd album – they have finally found the perfect mix of quirky indie pop and challenging melodies, and combined with bassist Mike Nolte’s pristine production, it is easily their masterwork. Nada Surf is still doing their thing, but they are doing it better than ever. The ten songs on their 6th album make up their most consistent collection to date. Newcomers Hospitality made one of 2012’s finest debuts, combining newfangled indie trends with the songwriting talents of 90’s artists like Juliana Hatfield. And finally, the 3rd full length from Lansing’s Cheap Girls (produced by Tom Gabel – now Laura Jane Grace – of Against Me!) was 2012’s first great testament to infectious, uncomplicated rock and roll – ten pummeling tracks of glorious G/C/D chords, all of which are carried by the exuberance of hopping off the school bus on a warm, sunny afternoon.

SUMMER

1. ZeusBusting Visions

2. Redd KrossResearching the Blues

3. Joyce ManorOf All Things
I Will Soon
Grow Tired

4. Beach BoysThat’s Why God
Made the Radio

5. Here We Go
MagicA Different Ship

The second release from retro Canadian rockers Zeus tops the Summer albums list, thanks to their complete disregard of current trends and their obvious obsession with rock music of the 60’s and 70’s. This goes beyond trying to write like their heroes – they try to record like them as well, undergoing dated and painstaking studio tricks to retrace the steps of their musical influences and achieve a glorious result. Redd Kross is the latest old school band to reunite and release an album after a prolonged period – however, they stand out from that crowd for two reasons. First, all the members were in high school when Redd Kross originally formed, so they still have plenty of vitality. Second, it shows – Researching the Blues is their best album, period. Torrance, CA’s Joyce Manor is making pop punk interesting again. Their 9-song, 13-minute release is a surprisingly multi-genre affair that feels like a playful summary of some punk geek’s record collection. The Beach Boys are still The Beach Boys, but That’s Why God Made the Radio is their first legitimately good album in 30 years. The three-song suite at the end (echoes of Smile can be heard) is proof that even if Brian Wilson is mentally charred, that legendary talent still resides within. The third full-length from NYC’s Here We Go Magic (produced by Nigel Godrich of Radiohead fame) seems understated and almost boring during initial listens. In time, however, things within this richly textured and layered album start to pop out like the Bogeyman – a satisfyingly haunting record.

FALL

1. Sun Kil MoonAmong
the Leaves

2. DIIVOshin

3. Blinker the
StarWe Draw Lines

4. Satin GumLP2

5. The Soft
PackStrapped

The songs on the fifth Sun Kil Moon album are uncomfortably autobiographical in nature, but if you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s really like to be a touring musician, it’s here – love letters, basement squatters, international flights, dead guitar repairmen, gloomy continents, groupies, STDs and all. As always, Mark Kozelek (formerly of Red House Painters) lays all of it out on the table without sugarcoating, and with a voice as hypnotic as ever. DIIV arguably made the year’s best debut, even though their songs are better described as 3-or-4-minute riff studies. They combine a popular indie rock sound (think Real Estate meets The Cure or Stone Roses) with a retro 90’s attitude and style that recalls Nirvana. Remember Blinker the Star? If so, it means you were into underground alt rock circa 1997. We Draw Lines, their fourth album (their debut was released almost 20 years ago), proves their search for the perfect studio sound has not been unsuccessful. Their cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” improves on the original in almost every sense. I can bet you have never heard of Satin Gum, and since these Pittsburgh power-poppers aren’t setting their sights higher than a few hometown shows a year and digital sales, you probably never will again. Enigmatic front man Brian Spekis gives us smart and hooky songwriting that tackles universal subject matter such as Kung Fu, drunk dialing, and Sasquatch hunting. On their sophomore album, San Diego’s The Soft Pack abandon their garage rock tendencies and instead utilize copious dance beats and saxophones. While not as consistent as the debut, Strapped still boasts plenty of hits.

WINTER

1. Tame ImpalaLonerism

2. Ty SegallTwins

3. Guided by
VoicesThe Bears
for Lunch

4. A.C. NewmanShut Down
the Streets

5. Father John
MistyFear Fun

Though it was released in early 2012, I didn’t make time for Lonerism until I finally bought it in November. I’m glad, since the sequence of the double vinyl makes for a better listening experience. The songs seem complex but are actually pretty minimalistic, an effect aided by the fact that as a recording project, Tame Impala is basically one dude, the very talented Kevin Parker. Similarly, Ty Segall performs the bulk of what can be heard on Twins, and only after repeated listening do the 60’s-styled psych jams reveal themselves to be much more than what appears on the surface. Like Segall, Guided by Voices released three albums in 2012. The first two were wildly inconsistent, but The Bears for Lunch holds up among their best work without treading water in their celebrated past, and features more Tobin Sprout songs per capita than any previous GBV release. Thanks to his subtle hooks and occasionally obtuse melodies, the songs of A.C. Newman usually take a while to sink in. Once they do, though, there is no getting over them, and Shut Down the Streets is no exception. Fear Fun by Father John Misty is another one of those albums released early in the year that fell through the cracks for me until these final months, and it’s a perfect winter record. FJM’s enigmatic charm lies in his blending of Elliott Smith-caliber melodic precision and Dylan-esque delivery, a much-needed evolution of the singer-songwriter formula.

RGH’S BEST ALBUM OF 2012Field MusicPlumb

As a musician, I know how enormous and daunting of a task it is to record an album. Rehearsing, memorizing, multi-tracking, hitting the right notes, trying to capture what was in your brain and somehow cement it forever to celluloid (or RAM, or whatever) – and that’s just you figuring your own shit out. Next, you’ll have to coordinate your ideas with others, and it may not gel. The Brewis brothers, the two-man force that is Field Music, laugh in the face of all of this. Not to trivialize their brilliance – there is no way you could nonchalantly make an album like Plumb. It’s just that everything about what Field Music does is so precise, so crafty, and done with such a stream of consciousness, it feels as if the whole process was effortless. In fact, it’s a sort of music that only brothers could make together, one whose nucleus must have originated in early childhood, extended into an awkward and imaginative adolescence, and has now finally found the light at the end of its own tunnel in an adulthood resigned to ambiguity. The longing of songs like “From Hide and Seek to Heartache” (one of the best songs of the year) and “Sorry Again, Mate” suggest a restlessness with everything except creating, and the overall pastiche feel of Plumb is a testament to how much creating these brothers actually do. So many wonderful little ideas are strung together throughout this record, it’s only more of a wonder to think how many didn’t make the final cut, and whether or not we will ever hear those ideas at all. But it’s not a problem either way, as Field Music’s well won’t be running dry any time soon.

Most of the interactions I have had with people concerning That’s Why God Made the Radio (the 30th studio album from The Beach Boys and the first in 20 years to contain original material) have been carbon copies of the one I had with the guy working the record store where I purchased the album. He seemed to be surprised that a new Beach Boys record would be worth buying at all. “I just assumed it would be really bad,” he said. “I mean, that’s usually the case in situations like this, right?” Of course, he meant situations in which a band already older than your parents reunites after a 20 year absence to make new music. He’s right – very rarely does this kind of experiment produce quality material. Usually, it only serves to solidify the geezer status of the people involved, and considering people have thought of The Beach Boys as geezers for quite some time, the end result could potentially be even worse for them.

Or could it? When you think about it, The Beach Boys have been seen as geezers for ages. After being at the bottom of the cool pile for so long, isn’t up the only way left to go? A few years back, head Beach Boy Brian Wilson experienced a career milestone when he finally completed and released SMiLE, which up to that point had become the most anticipated unreleased album in history. It was supposed to be the BB’s follow-up to their 1966 classic (though at the time, underrated) Pet Sounds, but the music of SMiLE caused a legendary rift within the group that eventually led to not only the shelving of the project, but the deterioration of Wilson’s mental health. Without SMiLE to prove the band’s innovative worth, the music of The Beach Boys gradually became less and less cool, and eventually all but irrelevant to many.

When Wilson finally pulled together and released the completed version of SMiLE in 2004, it was to universal acclaim from critics and fans, proving to everyone that Wilson was still an active genius. It probably proved this to Wilson himself, as well, as it seemingly reinvigorated his fire for The Beach Boys. If you really need proof of this, grow a pair and pick up That’s Why God Made the Radio, the best Beach Boys album in nearly 40 years.

If there is one thing the Beach Boys have gained after making music together for so many years, it’s perspective, which seems to be an overall theme of this album. All the members have had decades to feel and witness their influence on popular music, giving them a chance to see firsthand what has really stuck with people out of all the different stylistic shifts they have made. Furthermore, they have finally learned the art of compromise, and have successfully married the best aspects of the old-school surf nostalgia of their early work with the psychedelic suite-style compositions of their SMiLE/post-SMiLE era. The album’s first two singles (the title track and “Isn’t It Time”) feel right at home with the closing 3-song suite (“From There to Back Again”, “Pacific Coast Highway” and “Summer’s Gone”), and it’s enough to make one wonder if all that infighting so long ago about the stylistic direction of the Beach Boys was necessary. If the guys could have just grown up a bit initially, who knows what would have happened.

With that said, I’m not sure I would want to change their history that much. Aside from being one of rock’s most interesting, gut-wrenching and inspiring stories, The Beach Boys legacy is one of the most rewarding in rock music, and these guys know it. Much of the new album carries a joyous, celebratory vibe, with many of the songs directly referencing the group’s elation about their reunion. “Spring vacation, good vibrations, summer weather, we’re back together,” the group sings in “Spring Vacation”; while in the title track, they are “Spreading the love and sunshine to a whole new generation”. While these are seemingly simple messages, they also work on several levels. To anyone not familiar with the group’s past, these could just be simple love songs about love of music, or the love of another person, or the love of the world around us.

One unfortunate aspect of the record is its overproduced sound, but no one can blame Wilson for this. He’s a guy who cut his teeth on record-making back in the 60’s, when undergoing painstaking processes to achieve the perfect sound was the norm. After how fast technology has grown even over the last 5 years, using these same processes with today’s available technology produces a sound that is almost too great. If Wilson had chosen to use some outdated recording equipment or to simplify his technique a bit, he could have produced something a bit more organic-sounding. But with how solid the songs on Radio tend to be, this seems like nit-picking. Aside from a couple blah songs on the record (the ones written by Love), it’s difficult to find something to complain about.

Though the definite highlight of Radio is the 3-song suite that closes the album, one of the other standout tracks is “Strange World”, a song that could produce a slightly emotional reaction for any fan aware of Wilson’s past endeavors. “It’s a strange world, I’m gettin’ though it,” Wilson sings with a vigor not heard from him in decades. Though Wilson may be back and in better shape than he has been in recent memory, he’s acutely aware that his battles with his demons are far from over. In fact, that part of his life will probably never end. Surely, we can all relate – we all have some sort of adversity to face every morning when we choose to get out of bed and continue on with our lives. More often than not, we choose to go through with it, because the only other option would be to look our demons square in the face and say, “I give up.” The fact that 70-year-old Wilson and all the other Beach Boys are still not willing to fold after achieving so much in their careers could be seen as stubborn in the light of a lesser work. But in the spotlight of That’s Why God Made the Radio, the steadfastness of The Beach Boys comes off as awe-inspiring. ****

Recently, I posted this article in which I was not shy about my opinions toward modern music and its current state of affairs. I wrote it very quickly and posted it right away so I wouldn’t have time to think too much about it. I guess it is good news, then, that even as I read it now, there isn’t a whole lot I would change. Much of it consists of thoughts and feelings I have been having about the industry for years. For a while, I was worried that posting this stuff may give some people the wrong idea about me. Maybe it has – I do sound pretty bitter.

Soon after I posted this article, I saw a random Facebook post from Wake Mitchell, a musician and DJ well known to the Lawrence, KS scene. He periodically posts songs that he finds great and inspiring, along with these motivational messages of sorts. I see one almost every day, but this quote hit me just the right way right after I posted my article/rant. It seemed too perfect.

“Those who choose to work hard and strive for internal excellence inevitably experience stints of overwhelming pain and uncertainty. If you’ve ever felt such before, you’re on a beautiful path, for you are alive and conscious of all around (and within) you!”

After I read this, I felt better. I left work and began my commute back to Lawrence. It was Friday and it just felt awesome that the weekend was finally here, and whenever I feel like that, there’s nothing like some good, loud music for the drive home. I threw on a record that I’ve been listening to somewhat obsessively lately, a 9-song, 13-minute punk album called Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired by Torrance, CA’s Joyce Manor.

When I first listened to this album, I immediately noticed two things about Joyce Manor. First of all, they do some pop-punk things that I would usually find annoying or even unbearable coming from most bands, like the whiny/scream vocals, for example. Secondly, and contrary to my first observation, they somehow sounded like a band that knew their stuff, like the members had been playing in other bands for a long time. One of the first clues to this was the fact that they are a DIY punk band, but the recording sounds wonderful – not immaculate, but crisp, heavy and well-executed. This is not something you normally see from a DIY band full of new aspiring rockers. Also, these extremely short songs are quite complex, and the band has a knack for cramming in lots of ideas without making them boil over with busy bullshit.

Opening track “These Kind of Ice Skates” sets this tone perfectly. In almost under a minute, we get a verse, pre-chorus, chorus, a bridge, and then it’s over. (I guess if you don’t repeat a part, you can’t really call it a chorus, but that’s just how I break it down.) The next track “Comfortable Clothes” continues in that same vein, only more frenetic, catchier, and even shorter. Then, all of a sudden, the band switches gears to “See How Tame I Can Be”, a sort of lo-fi electro-dance tune with low and bubbly synths peppered with out-of-tune guitars. The album’s title comes from the lyrics of this song, and it totally makes sense. At this point, it starts to feel like one of those intimate live shows with a small crowd in which the band just starts to fuck around and have fun – they kick it off with two songs that represent the Joyce Manor people know and love, and follow them up with “Tame” and “Drainage”, a minute-long home-recorded acoustic track that is unlike anything else the band has done.

When their cover of “Video Killed the Radio Star” came on during my aforementioned drive home, it made me think of the article I had written, and it dawned on me that this cover was basically Joyce Manor’s version of that article. In looking past the specific words of the title into the greater meaning of the song, Joyce Manor have re-activated the tune as an anthem for people (mainly musicians) striving to deal with the changing times. Just like the radio stars or silent movie stars of the old days had to adjust their lives and personal expectations with the growth of technology, so we are still doing today, albeit at a much more incendiary pace. (They could have called it “Internet Killed the Video Star”, but that just would have been cheesy.) The best part of the cover, though, is that it holds up to the original incredibly well, while still sounding like a Joyce Manor song. The band re-appropriates it to their sound and personality so well I didn’t even notice it was a cover until the chorus popped up.

Of course, the remainder of the album flies by in a blink, but that doesn’t make it any less great. “If I Needed You There” is probably the most cookie-cutter pop-punk tune of the bunch, but still manages to get in some original and unexpected hooks, like the surprisingly poppy keyboard parts in the chorus. “Bride of Usher” cops a bass line from the Cure’s “Close to Me” and turns it into a dance-punk rave up, and “Violent World” has all the proper ingredients of a bona fide punk anthem compressed into a minute and a half. “I’m Always Tired”, a 45-second acoustic demo which sounds like it was recorded on boom box, closes the album with an unexpected lo-fi jolt. The whole thing is over so fast it feels unfinished, but the positive here is that the songs are so good, you’ll find it difficult to not just start the record over again and give it another spin. Even after playing this whole record twice, you’ve still taken less time out of your life than you would listening to a New Found Glory or Blink-182 album, and for too many reasons to count, Joyce Manor is infinitely more interesting. ***1/2

]]>https://recordgeekheaven.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/new-music-joyce-manor-of-all-things-i-will-soon-grow-tired/feed/0recordgeekheavenjmoatiwsgt“But if no one cares, then why are you doing it?”https://recordgeekheaven.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/but-if-no-one-cares-then-why-are-you-doing-it/
https://recordgeekheaven.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/but-if-no-one-cares-then-why-are-you-doing-it/#commentsWed, 22 Aug 2012 15:55:23 +0000http://recordgeekheaven.wordpress.com/?p=1039I realize that I have been pretty M.I.A. on R.G.H. since about March or so, so here I am, returning once again. Unlike the previous posts that so far resemble this one (this isn’t the first time this has happened), I will not apologize to my few very awesome readers for my absence. First of all, I know they don’t want or expect an apology. Most of them are big kids and can fend for themselves out there in the music world, and usually only frequent R.G.H. to compare their recent listening to mine. The other portion of them, it seems, only come around to slag on what I have written (which, believe me, only makes the job all the more worthwhile).

Secondly, I won’t apologize because I have been incredibly busy doing what I love most in life – music. I spent my entire summer playing in various bands, and for some of those said bands, working on new recordings. I really can’t believe that at this point, 4 different recording projects are either in the works or have already been released. I play drums for a band out of KC called Hidden Pictures, and we just released a new record at the end of July. My main project, The Dead Girls, is awaiting the first round of mixes for our third album, which we hope to have out by fall (but probably won’t get out until spring 2013). I am also in two other bands (a punk band called Stiff Middle Fingers, and a prog/pop band called Many Moods of Dad), both of which are in the finishing stages of recording right now.

Aside from playing all these shows and helping write and record all this material, one of the main things that kept me busy was booking all of the shows for these bands. I don’t book for Hidden Pictures, but in every other case, I am the guy. Now I don’t want to sound bitter or anything, but me and the guys in all these bands have been playing in and around Lawrence/KC for going on 12 years now, and I have found that we still can’t get a show that is worth a shit unless we book and promote the fucker ourselves. A lot of other bands do well because they have strong friendship ties to the local scene, but we don’t. Sure, we have friends in that arena, but our best friends are still the people we grew up with and planted our roots against. We aren’t true Lawrence townies or kiss-asses or fake people, so we are automatically at a disadvantage. So this summer, I made the decision to never, EVER expect anyone to do anything for me EVER again. If we want a good show, we’re going to BOOK a good show, and not just wait around for someone to give us one. If we want to put out and promote an album, we will do it OURSELVES, because no one else cares enough about what we are doing to help us out all that much.

“But if no one cares, then why are you doing it?” someone will inevitably ask. They are missing the point. The point is WE love it. That’s why we do it. That’s what keeps us together for almost 10 years, while other hyped-up bands come and go and fall apart in a matter of months or a couple years. They are doing it for the wrong reasons, we are not.

Basically, this preface is supposed to serve the notion that I am tired of the hype machine. Moreover, I am tired of machines in general. I am tired of the idea that everything must be cranked out for mass consumption. I want to make music I would LIKE to listen to, and I’m going to stick with that because it comes naturally to me and there should be no reason for me to question that. Granted, it keeps me so busy that sometimes I can’t do some things that I love, like keep up with R.G.H. One day, hopefully, I will be able to figure out within myself how to do all of this stuff while still finding some time to relax to keep me from going completely bonkers.

Mmmm, I just got a craving for Bonkers! Remember that candy, those little Starburst-y rectangles with fruit flavors inside? Anyone? Damn, that shit is old now. I AM OLD. Sure, I’m only 30, but that’s old to a lot of people. I’m running out of time and energy, so I may as well just accept that old-person’s attitude of “Who gives a fuck?” and just do the stuff that makes me happy. It’s kinda shitty that what makes me the most happy also has the ability to frustrate me to no end, but I guess that’s all part of the jadedness; and granted, I could have prevented myself from becoming so jaded if I had been more of an asshole to begin with. But it’s kind of a letdown when you are in a scene that talks the talk (“Our scene should be a musical community that we can all be a part of”, etc. etc.) but very rarely walks the walk, or at least for The Dead Girls. Unlike most Lawrence/KC bands, our music has hardly any pretense. We don’t lead anyone to believe that our music writing is the result of some kind of “special power” or anything. We make music for people to absorb, rather than music that is made to go over the listener’s head to make them feel below it, thus leading them to believe it exists on some kind of special plane that needs to be attained to be understood. That’s like, THE indie thing now, and I’m so tired of it. I long for the days when music kicked you in the face, rather than the music of the now, which putters about over your head in a teasing fashion.

It sucks to feel more or less ostracized from a scene you have helped to build for many years, but I guess that is the fate of the power pop band – to go underappreciated. Plus, what the fuck do I expect? I live in Kansas. It’s not like I’m trying to do this shit in New York or LA, places where I actually could have some kind of opportunity to further a musical career. I have nothing to complain about – I am here of my own volition. In reality, I just feel suffocated here. I feel like there are no real opportunities for a songwriter of my style and nature. Lawrence, KS only seems to give a fuck about either side of the extreme. No one gives a shit about your band unless you are a raw, ear-shredding garage rock band that puts no thought into their tunes and releases shitty-sounding recordings, or a totally pretentious electronica-influenced indie band that puts WAY too much thought into their tunes and acts like they have been touched by Jesus. There is no room for any sort of middle ground. And you know, maybe I am just completely delusional and The Dead Girls are actually a really shitty band – I’ve heard it said a few times over the years – but I don’t think that’s the case. I think we do what we do, they do what they do, and those things just don’t really jive all that well.

After living in Lawrence for 12 years and being pushed to the sidelines for so long, I only have a few real options. Option A: I can stay in Lawrence and keep doing what I have been doing, with no real hope of advancement. B: I can move somewhere else and start over, which is horribly scary, but also might be the only way I can feasibly keep doing music as regularly as I want to. C: I can give up music altogether and either stay in Lawrence or move somewhere else, and leave the bullshit behind. I don’t want to do option C, because I truly believe that a certain amount of bullshit comes with EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY something worked on for so long. To choose option C would be to completely disregard that fact, and I KNOW I am not THAT delusional. At this point, option B, though the scariest, is probably the best choice. I feel like I have worked on this stuff too long and too hard to completely give up and throw everything out like scraps to wolves, and as much as I love Lawrence, I don’t want to feel like I am stuck here in 5 or 10 years. I also don’t want to leave all my best friends who I have been making music with for 15+ years, or to anyone else I have come to know and love in Lawrence in my 12 year stay here. But the fact of the matter is I have lived in Kansas my entire life; I need to see some new places, do some new things, meet some new people, and ROCK with some new people before it’s too late. I want to have that opportunity, and even though I am 30 years old, I’m pretty sure there is still time left to do that.

To be honest, though, I have NO IDEA what I am going to do. I know I’ll be here for at least another year, but I have been saying that for a while. I’ve become pretty used to putting my foot in my mouth, so at this point, I’m just going to say things as they come and deal with them later.

“Strawberry Wine” (from Stage Fright) reminds me of the theme song for the hit 90’s TV sitcom Blossom. There is something inherently wrong with this, but it’s not my fault – no one has control over when they are brought into this world. I happened to hear the Blossom theme before “Strawberry Wine”, and I will never be able to reverse it. It’s a tragedy of epic proportions.

Just knowing that stupid theme song was probably spawned by The Band in some way makes me very irritated. It’s like when Phil Collins says his main influence is the Beatles – The Beatles will always be my favorite band, but I’ll always be a little irritated with them for getting so big as to spawn horrible shite like Phil Collins. Is it the wrong way of looking at things? Probably, but it still bugs me.

Both Stage Fright and Cahoots contain good – sometimes great – material, but both also suffer from the after pressure of the two classic albums that preceded them. No band, not even one as amazing as The Band, could ever live up to an album as good as either one of those right away – and the fact that there were two of them in a row likely made it even more difficult. Add to this all the personal and inner-band turmoil of the members, and what we had was a group of extremely talented musicians whose inspiration was waning.

The Band’s best songwriter, Richard Manuel, takes a noticeable artistic absence on these albums. More than all of The Band’s members, Manuel’s troubles with drugs and alcohol have come to define his artistic role in the group. Die-hard Band fans can’t talk about Manuel for more than a couple minutes without mentioning the “pain and sorrow” in his vocals, or the “yearning and longing” in his performances. Sure, they are talking about a great performer, but what they are really alluding to is the drugs. After all, this sort of lifestyle has been romanticized to the point that music fans almost associate drug addiction as a form of sacrifice the performer makes for his audience. In the case of Manuel, he not only sacrificed his health, but his motivation, ambition and imagination.

Capitol 1971

This era also marked the point when the Band started to become primarily an outlet for Robbie Robertson, and as he saw his band mates being overcome by addiction and personal problems, he took the lead in an almost dictatorial fashion. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as Robertson is without question a gifted songwriter, it changed the dynamic of The Band in that it made them, well, LESS of a band.

“Life is a Carnival” and “4% Pantomime” (both from Cahoots, the latter of which was co-written with Van Morrison) are top-notch representations of the Band, as is their best Bob Dylan cover “When I Paint My Masterpiece”. But so much of the other material on Stage Fright and Cahoots sounds somewhat inconsequential when held up to the steadfastness of the first two records.

Just pretend for one moment that you have never heard of The Band. Erase all the history you have come to learn about them as a music fan, and entertain the idea that they never existed, just for one moment. Or, think back to the time when you first heard the name. What was your reaction to hearing about a band called The Band? For me, I think it was a mixed bag of “Wow, these guys are really lazy” and “Wow, these guys are really cocky.” The latter may have been true, but the former could not be further from it. If there was ever a band that deserved such a simple yet high-status moniker reflective of the indescribable hard work and marrying of minds required to bring the individual ideas of a bunch of people together into a tangible whole, it was these guys.

By the time of the release of The Band, their second and best album, real music lovers everywhere suddenly realized what their name meant – they were The Band. For years, the five members honed their group chemistry to the point where other musicians couldn’t touch them. Then, after years of touring and perfecting their craft with Bob Dylan front and center, they learned from the best how to really write a song. The Band not only had all their bases covered, but they were loaded with the most well rounded players in the business. History notates The Band finding their true creative voice during The Basement Tapes sessions, which consisted of months of recording with Bob Dylan following his motorcycle accident. Though they mostly recorded Dylan originals, The Band also began writing and recording their own songs. Their unmistakable chemistry was strengthened even more in the process of re-interpreting and re-arranging some American standards with Dylan, which helped to usher in a completely new genre combining the sensibilities of folk, blues, rock and R&B, now known as Americana.

After listening to The Band pretty obsessively for the past month, I’ve found there is not much more to want of their self-titled album. One of only two albums in the original lineup’s catalog to feature all original tunes (the other would be their next, Stage Fright), it presents The Band at a moment in time when everything was happening for these guys. There is a simultaneous confidence and nonchalant quality to this record, and after listening to it a few times, it’s easy to think The Band could have done anything and it would have been great. The album is not overwrought or overproduced in any way, but it’s certainly not sloppy – it’s that happy medium that all bands hope to find. Robbie Robertson and Richard Manuel are the resident songwriting dream team, both with earthy voices that ooze booze and pained longing. Multi-instrumentalists Levon Helm and Rick Danko (who both sang and wrote occasionally) had that sought-after ability to fill out the sound of a song to perfection with nearly any instrument they touched, and were a perfect rhythm section to boot. Last but certainly not least, Garth Hudson – perhaps my favorite Band member – could transform the most basic of tunes into an ethereal, other-worldly wonder with just a few strokes of the keys.

Over the years, Robertson has become “the villain”, thanks to his repeated rebuffs to The Band’s surviving members who have sued him numerous times for royalties over the years – and you know, I would probably be more annoyed with Robertson if I knew more of The Band’s back story. It seems out of all the members, though, Robertson had his shit together better than anyone. He was not as tempted or affected by drug use, and it seems he kept The Band’s ship tighter than it would have been otherwise. Plus, he is a wonderful songwriter, and the bulk of material on The Band is credited to him. They were also the perfect vehicle for Helm’s voice, a superb mix of boogin and seasoned pro, most notably on “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “Rag Mama Rag”.

Despite Robertson’s assured leading, the songs and vocal performances of his partner Manuel are the definite highlights of the album. “When You Awake” is an unusual but beautiful mix of dark and light, and it acts as a sort of companion piece to what may be The Band’s best song (and definitely Manuel’s), “Whispering Pines”. When fans of The Band speak of Manuel, they rarely fail to mention two things: His battles with drug and alcohol addiction, and the emotional pain he seems to be bearing in most of his vocal performances. Listening to “Whispering Pines”, it’s easy to tell why many people speak of the latter. Manuel’s moan lurches through with restless abondon over slow, smoldering chord changes reminiscent of a Procol Harum progression stood upon its head, and nearly every moment of melodic resolve is forgone for a new cavernous passage. As Manuel floats along these forked roads of melody, it’s almost as if we are moving deeper and deeper into the wells of a tortured human soul.

Though this and The Band’s first album are pretty close to bona fide classics, these unforgettable highs perhaps flew them a bit too close to the Sun. As their next two albums (though good) would further prove, The Band peaked early, and their remaining years would be a slow descent into inter-band conflict, untimely deaths and fogey cover band status. They would eventually reunite several times, as well as come amazingly close to recapturing the old magic on the classic live album and accompanying Martin Scorsese film The Last Waltz. Sadly, in the end, the story and trajectory of The Band never equaled the magic of their inherent musical chemistry. ****1/2

Listening again?Definitely

**Correction: Originally I said Robertson sang “Dixie” and “Rag Mama Rag”, but a very kind reader pointed out that was false and Levon Helm actually sang those. I have since made the correction.